MLB Player News

Turner will be the Nationals' starting shortstop in 2017 following the acquisition of Adam Eaton and the trade of Danny Espinosa to the Angels, The Washington Post reports.

While Turner is a defensive downgrade at shortstop from the slick Espinosa, the Nats got a major upgrade in offense with the moves. Given that Turner hit .342 with a .937 OPS last season despite mostly playing out of position in center field, it's possible the move back to shortstop might even help him at the plate, in addition to adding to his 2B and OF eligibility in most fantasy formats.

Williams was selected by the Angels in the Triple-A portion of the Rule 5 draft Thursday.

The 27-year-old shortstop slashed .263/.355/.346 for Triple-A Memphis in the Cardinals' organization last season. In his 395 plate appearances over 113 games, he didn't do anything too substantial, hitting just one home run, stealing 11 bases in 18 attempts and knocking in 35 RBI to go along with his mediocre slash line. He will serve as organizational depth for the Angels next season.

Adrianza signed a one-year contract to avoid arbitration with the Giants on Friday, FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman reports.

Adrianza slashed .254/.292/.378 in 71 plate appearances over 40 games with the Giants last season. The 27-year-old shortstop will likely just be a bench or minor league option in 2017, with Brandon Crawford cemented as San Francisco's starter.

Castro signed a minor league contract with the Rockies, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports.

Castro has a surprising amount of major league experience thanks to his ability to play across the infield. However, the .217 batting average he holds in the big leagues along with the studs blocking him at each infield position will likely restrict the 24-year-old to a very limited role in the organization.

Rodriguez has signed a minor league contract with the A's that includes an invite to spring training, CSN Bay Area reports.

The soon-to-be 32-year-old attended big-league camp with the A's last spring but opened the year at Double-A. Rodriguez eventually returned to the Triple-A level and posted a 24:25 BB:K with the top affiliate, and he also has a bit of power, but he will be a long shot to break camp with Oakland. He's bounced between with five different organizations in his 11 pro seasons and hasn't reached the majors since 2011.

Navarro agreed to a minor league contract with the Angels on Tuesday, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports.

Navarro was cast off the 40-man roster earlier in the month after mustering just a .227 batting average at Triple-A Salt Lake last season. With that in mind, it seems like he'll just be an organizational depth piece unless his bat comes back to life in 2017.

Mateo was added to the Yankees' 40-man roster Friday.

This was a no-brainer for the Yankees as Mateo is a top prospect in the system and needed to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. He did endure some growing pains at High-A Tampa in 2016, but Mateo has elite speed and there's optimism about his hit tool developing in time. There's been talk about him potentially moving to center field long term.

Navarro was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake on Friday.

His chances of holding onto his 40-man spot throughout the winter were slim, to put it nicely. Navarro put up just a .227/.253/.325 line at the Triple-A level in 2016 -- in the hitter-friendly PCL. He will provide organizational infield depth in 2017.

Urena was added to the Blue Jays' 40-man roster on Friday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet reports.

Urena splitting time between High-A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire, combined to hit .295/.335/.434 with eight home runs and 59 RBI. He figures to stay with New Hampshire to begin 2017 since he only spent 30 games there, but he has progressed enough that protecting him from the Rule 5 draft became necessary.

Adames was added to the Rays' 40-man roster Friday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Adames hit .274/.372/.430 with 11 homers and 13 steals in 132 games with Double-A Montgomery in 2016, solidifying his status as the top prospect in the organization. He will presumably advance to Triple-A early on in 2017 with a chance to break through to the majors before the end of the year.